This is the system we stand behind

The spirit of RADION can be found in its sound: raw, somewhat DIY and with a fair amount of method in the madness. Our technicians work with the ethos that a good club sound must be unique to a certain room and a particular time and space, so that it cannot be heard anywhere else in the world but within the walls of our concrete bunker. Our technicians have an intimate knowledge of each of our systems from first hand experience. Rather than opting for pre-packaged plug and play installations, they work towards building systems with heritage; speakers which encapsulate a history of Amsterdam dance in their look, feel, and, of course, sound. The foundation RADION’s sound is well isolated, acoustically dampened rooms and good, secure cabling. Throughout the rooms run lengths of signal cable; each one made by hand by our head technician to ensure quality and minimise risk of signal becoming interrupted. The concrete shell of our building and extra added isolation material provide our rooms with “grip”, which prevents unwanted reflections or cancellation. Of course, there will always be some degree of cancellation in certain spots of the dancefloor, but we believe this adds to the charm of a party, as each dancer can testify that they have their own, personal spot to feel the music in their favourite way. Indeed, what is a club if not a means to break with uniformity?

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The sound system in the main room was originally an old VOID Stasys Tour set: featuring four VOID Stasys5 MK2 and two VOID Stasys3 MK2 cabinets per side, backed by Powersoft amps. Two double 15” 2KW low cabinets have been placed each side in addition to the original subs, to create extra punch and definition in the low frequencies. Since its installation, the original set has been gutted and refitted with new drivers and cabling, the original passive filters have been removed and we have installed our own crossover settings and processing to complete this true FrankenSystem. The result: a sound system that pays homage to the origins of techno -  a dry, percussive, aggressive sound that dominates the dancefloor. Shiva, the destroyer of worlds, whose sub and low ends growl across concrete and inspire the rumblings of warehouse raves, but whose mercy is to be found in its compressed transients and mellisonant highs. It is an operator's system; to be brought under control and then played as an instrument.

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For RADION’s second room we took a slightly different approach. To complement the amphitheatre-like room design and, indeed, the sound in the main, we focused on greater coverage and more “hi-fi” definition. This required a lot of fine tuning in the timing across the system and the EAW 600 infills that cover the back of the room. The speaker boxes are true relics from Amsterdam’s dance history. A heritage system that has been in use since the early 90s and dug up by our head technician a decade ago, the stack features four Prof Sound horn loaded tops and four 15” reflex lows: a set still favoured by Belgian and French tekno and free party systems today. These sit atop 2 L Acoustic SB218 subs on each side, providing a more “new school”, omni-directional and bottom-end-heavy presence to the sub frequency band. Driven by a mixture of Lab Gruppen, Powersoft and Carver amps with separate processing, it is a system entirely unique to RADION. Here the sound is warmer and more athletic. Mid frequencies take on painterly shapes under a detailed high end in a sound defined by playful colour rather than by overpowering force. It allows the listener to drift off into the sweat fueled haze characteristic of the room, whilst the dynamic low end and impossibly deep sub frequencies entice even the faint of heart towards the heady, writhing pit of dancers at the base of each stack.

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Of course, sound and way we perceive it is subjective and differs per listener. The conditions of the room and the time during the party also determine how sound waves behave; with temperature, humidity and the changing density of bodies and objects in a room making for different behaviours across different frequencies. Regardless of how the system is configured, good sound starts at its source and is dictated by the quality of the file, live input or vinyl record being used by the DJ. Likewise, a clean, undistorted signal from the DJ, with plenty of headroom, allows the operator space to shape the sound, whereas a mixer that is redlining (or near to) necessarily will produce a sound that is too “hot” and unforgiving in nature, regardless of the quality of system reproducing it. As a rule of thumb, if you would like more volume to your sound, it is better to use hi-powered amplifiers designated for that purpose, rather than the smaller, lower quality preamps found in even the most professional DJ mixers.

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As with most things in life, our sound is a work in progress and is a project we are constantly looking to improve and adapt as we grow as a club. We look at RADION as a total sonic playground, where party-goers transition through various sonic environments that complement one another as they float through the club. But please don’t take our word for it, come by sometime and judge it for yourself.

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